It's been a long year for the families and friends of 11 soldiers and airmen.

The hugs, tears and smiles showed more than words could tell, as army and air national guardsmen were welcomed home Tuesday.

The ceremony took place at 10 a.m. at the Penterman Armory on the Nebraska National Guard air base in Lincoln.

The eleven Nebraska Army and Air National Guardsmen were assigned to the Nebraska National Guard's Afghan Agribusiness Development Team No. 2 for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.

The group taught Afghans modern farming techniques to help strengthen their economy.

The Soldiers and Airmen are the final members of the Guard's ADT No. 2. The initial members of the team returned to Lincoln on April 6 after the team was reorganized as part of a U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. The Soldiers and Airmen returning Tuesday were part of the team's agricultural specialist section, which spent the majority of the deployment to Afghanistan working with local Afghan officials and farmers to redevelop Afganistan's agricultural infrastructure.

The Guardsmen were recently replaced by members of the Nebraska National Guard's ADT No. 3, which is expected to remain in Afghanistan until sometime next year.